Shell invited LNG shipping leaders to Rotterdam Cruise Terminal to launch Cardissa, the LNG bunker-supply ship that it will operate out of Gate Terminal. At the event, Shell announced that it is already planning its third, fourth and fifth LNG bunker-supply ships.

As for Shell LNG bunker-supply ships four and five? The smart money suggests Gibraltar, for the western Mediterranean, Qatar for the Middle East and Singapore for Asia.

There are now 200 LNG-fuelled ships are in service or on order. Take-up has been slow, reflecting a dearth of new ship orders.

Being the first mover isn’t cheap, or easy, in any industry. However, a new report predicts that the LNG-bunkering market is on the cusp of a boom.

Energias Market Research says the market will increase in value from US$825M last year to nearly US$25Bn by 2023 – that’s a compound annual growth rate of more than 62%. The report also expects ship-to-ship LNG bunkering to grow 56% in that time frame.